Just bought a '49 8N. Its underbelly has been painted blue. Figured this was a custom paint job probably applied in the '60s when Ford tractors were blue?? Surely not factory, right? Also, this 8N has truck tires on the front that make it a booger to turn (especially in reverse). Can't tell if it's the tires or just worn steering, or some of both. Any ideas? Thanks.

8N would have been painted as a "Red Belly" regardless of year.
Truck tires make it easier to steer in soft dirt, not so much on hard ground.
Check out John Smith's site for some good info on the ID. (link below)
Congratulations on the new tractor, hope it works out well for you!

Find the steering gear oil plugs and lube the gear.....if gear oil leaks out, replace it with grease. If there is a lot of "play" in the steering when moving the wheel side-to-side the gears and bearings may need replaced....common problem in tractors where the steering gear lube has been poor and the operator has forced the hard-steering old machine to work in that condition. I assume you have the maintenance manuals commonly recommended in this forum; they should help.

(quoted from post at 23:48:03 12/15/12) Just bought a '49 8N. Its underbelly has been painted blue. Figured this was a custom paint job probably applied in the '60s when Ford tractors were blue?? Surely not factory, right? Also, this 8N has truck tires on the front that make it a booger to turn (especially in reverse). Can't tell if it's the tires or just worn steering, or some of both. Any ideas? Thanks.

DO NOT REPAINT THAT TRACTOR!!!! That is one of a very few rare and valuable War Between the States commemoratives!! Repainting it will ruin it's value as a collectible.

TOH

Last edited by TheOldHokie on Sun Dec 16, 2012 6:18 am; edited 1 time in total

Dealers, when repainting earlier tractors, reputedly would use
the flashy new Ford Blue to make the machines look newer. And
owners would often do the same. So it is pretty common.
Interestingly enough, the blue n's I see always seem to be in
about the same state of decay, with the blue peeling off to
reveal rust or red paint, so one suspects painting them blue
enjoyed a brief vogue shortly after Ford came out with the new
color.

Mine had big, stiff, 8x16 truck tires on my 8n when I got it. They
were pretty necessary with the loader, but hard steering after I
got rid of the loader. Now I'm running old Harley 16" tires which
are in endless, free supply at your local Harley dealer, and work
quite nicely, especially considering the price.

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